The 2026 FIFA World Cup turned stadiums, airports, host cities and fan zones across US, Canada and Mexico into major testing grounds for telecommunications networks. New GSMA Intelligence research ‘World Cup 2026: are operators the gamechangers?’, highlights the role played by telecoms operators and lessons that can be learnt for future tournaments.
According to GSMA Intelligence, connectivity is now an integral part of both the fan experience and event operations, from accessing content and navigating host cities to broadcasting, security and refereeing.
Report highlights how operators strengthened networks across stadiums, airports and host cities through additional 5G and Wi-Fi infrastructure and capacity upgrades. It also points to the role of 5G Standalone, private networks, Edge computing and IoT in supporting critical services during major sporting events.
From connected stadium to complete fan journey
Report notes that the opportunity for operators extended beyond:
- Travel eSIMs: According to GSMA Intelligence’s 2025 Global Consumer Survey, 12% of consumers who had travelled internationally in the previous 12 months used an eSIM while abroad. Of these, more than 70% used a travel eSIM.
- Experience-based tariffs: 45% of mobile contract customers are interested in performance-based plans.
- Network-native services: Report highlights T-Mobile US’s Live Translation service as an example of a network-native service., providing real-time translation without requiring an app or specific device hardware.
Figures published separately by US operators provide context on World Cup connectivity demand. Verizon reported nearly 500TB of data across stadiums, including 29.2TB during final, with upload traffic rising by almost 70% at half-time. AT&T handling almost one petabyte across US host cities while maintaining over 99% network reliability
A reference point for Spanish stadiums and cities
GSMA IntelligenceReport’s highlights the challenges future host locations need to address.
“The main lesson from the 2026 World Cup is that future hosts should not approach connectivity solely as a capacity exercise. The real value lies in designing infrastructure that can guarantee critical services, support fans throughout their journey and continue to benefit cities after the tournament ends while also recognising opportunities to deliver valuable services beyond connectivity. For Spain, 2030 represents an opportunity to turn network investment into a lasting asset for other major events and for the digital economy,” said Peter Jarich, Head of GSMA Intelligence.
